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In 2001 I
sent my son off to school at the beginning of the year
as I always had. As a primary trained school teacher “I
knew” that this was the best place for him to get an
education. The fact that my older daughter had spent six
months of her life crying because she didn’t want to go
to school after we had transferred from the country
meant nothing. The fact that my son had been dropped 2
reading groups by his teacher for “comprehension”
purposes (although he was quite capable of reading the
higher groups work) meant nothing. School was the place
to be. Although I had heard of homeschooling and had
actually recommended it to somebody I didn’t think that
I would be able to do it with my own children. I
believed in the system.
In that first term of 2002 my 7 year old son gradually
became more and more miserable and was continually in
trouble. His “behaviour” did not meet the expectations
of the school. He behaved like a boy. In the end God had
to make me very, very angry to take my son out of
school.
As a school teacher I needed a place to start. A.C.E
turned out to be that place to start and interestingly,
whilst many move on from A.C.E I still use it.
My son took the diagnostic tests and because he was so
young when he started didn’t really have many gaps. He
has grown from there. I too have grown from there.
My daughter’s A.C.E journey is different. Her I left at
school. After all the system hadn’t appeared too bad for
her and I still believed that it worked. She however
realized that her brother was starting to steam ahead
and that she had stopped learning anything in school.
Half way through the first term of the year my daughter
came to me and asked to be homeschooled as well. I duly
applied for an exemption and was to start homeschooling
in the second term. At the end of the first term,
friends who also used the A.C.E curriculum asked me to
join them in attending Preparation for Convention in
Wanganui. I plodded off, 2 weeks after getting my
daughters exemption, not wanting to go but unable to say
no. Student Convention changed our lives.
Student Convention is the other half of the A.C.E
curriculum. The school work the student gets in his
PACES and many people only see this side of the
curriculum. Convention gives the student a reason for
learning. At student convention students compete in what
can only be described as a week-long healthy competitive
Arts/Sports/Music Festival. This is not a convention
where the people sit around listening to speakers
although in the evening rallies the students will hear
inspiring speakers exhorting them to accept Christ,
repent for behaviours, or rejoice in the Lord. At
Convention the students, from age 11 up, prepare work
throughout the year to participate in Art, Craft, Music,
sports, Academics, Platform and Scripture memory. They
then spend the week presenting their work and making new
friends from all around the country and even around the
world if you attend the inter-country conventions.
Convention is a ministry training field and whilst the
fun of convention is important more important is the
growth that I have seen from attending. My children have
learned perseverance, patience, integrity, friendship, a
work ethic, the courage to speak in public; the list
goes on.
When you have decided to homeschool don’t just shoot
past A.C.E consider all the factors and do look into
student convention.
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